Tales of Time
by Lady Cougar-Trombone
Summary: (Also a crossover with Theodore Boone) James Bond is trying to sleep when he notices something odd. He's out before he can investigate. Alex Rider is sleeping when he is woken up by a strange noise. When he looks around, nothing is there. Then his world goes black. Theodore Boone notices something that looks like blood. When he tries to get a closer look, he loses consciousness.
1. The Darkest Night

_**Fettes College, Edinburgh, Scotland**_

James was trying to sleep. He didn't want to as he knew, knew that nightmares would come. For whatever reason, since coming here, nightmares plagued him. He correctly assumed that it was this past, ah, adventure. He begins to fall asleep, when a dark form appears near his bed. Right as he begins to rise, while wondering where the man, if it was a man, had come from, he falls back down, unconscious.

_**The Pleasure Home, San Francisco, California**_

Alexander John Rider, or just plain Alex, was sleeping. He had finally reeled in his older nightmares, but the newer ones, ones about…about Cairo, most specifically about…_Jack_. But then, even in deep, deep sleep, Alex begins to hear a noise. Groggily, he wakes up. As his mind wakes up he looks around his room.

Nothing, not another soul…or at least anything that could've made the noise that woke him.

Quite suddenly, he can't see. But oddly, he doesn't notice this.

But then again, it's not odd…seeing as he has passed out.

_**Strattenburg, Pennsylvania/Maryland**_

Theodore Boone was riding his bike late Monday evening, after visiting his Uncle Ike. Just before he was about to return home, he got a text from April.

_Can U meet me?_

He had texted back.

_Where?_

_Near the river, by_

And the text cut off. Theo got a bad feeling, and he pedaled off, leaving Judge, his dog, behind.

When he was passing through a forest like area that blocked the sides of the road, and he couldn't see the beginning or end of the pass, he spotted something.

A pool of _blood_.

He stops his bike, gets off, and goes to get a better look. Theo breathes a sigh of relief.

_It's not blood._

Suddenly, a hand holding a cloth presses against his face and the world begins to swirl.

He hears a dog barking, and then he crumbles to the ground, unconscious.

_**Unknown Location**_

"_Sir, all the targets have been acquired."_

"Excellent," a deep voice said, "bring them here immediately." A large man sets down the communication device.


	2. Discovery

**A/N: To all who may be reading, this will probably be the last chapter for a while. I'm a bit busy, have to write the next chapter, and have messed up internet at the moment.**

The maid was knocking on James' door. She was to clean the room, but could not seem to rouse the boy.

_Must be a deep sleeper_. She thought, getting a key and unlocking the door. She wasn't quite suspicious yet, until she opened the door.

It was quiet, dark, and seemed…unoccupied. She went to the bed and reached down.

There was no body.

James Bond was gone.

Not long later, the maid had alerted the school and students were being accounted for to see if anyone else was missing. A search of the room showed it wasn't an escape as the window was closed and the bed showed someone _had_ slept in it…But not that they had left the bed. It was very odd, and while some thought suicide, there was no body to be found. Nothing suspicious around campus suggested a kidnap, or an escape by the boy.

Just the odd way the sheet showed that he hadn't gotten out of bed.

Where was James Bond? How could he just vanish?

* * *

Sabina Pleasure was heading upstairs. Alex, normally an early riser, had yet to come downstairs.

_Probably sleeping off a nightmare,_ Sabina concluded sadly. Sabina reached for the doorknob and suddenly had a horrible feeling. She shook it off and opened the door.

The bed was empty. Frowning, Sabina walked in and looked around. No signs that he had gotten up and ready for the day.

_This is not right…_ She approached the bed and discovered an oddity. The sheets were shaped so that Alex must have been under them to sleep, but had not been disturbed. But…How could Alex get out without disturbing the sheets.

"Dad!" Sabina yelled the full force of what had happened crashing down. Alex was gone…and it couldn't have been voluntary because of the lack of packing. Her father ran upstairs to find a hysterical Sabina and an empty bed.

Sending his daughter downstairs, Edward checked the windows.

Locked.

He checked the other rooms and discovered the same thing. And there was nothing to suggest someone had broken in, but their alarm _should_ have alerted them if someone had broken in.

Edward briefly wondered if this had to do with Alex' history, but quickly dismissed it. MI6 had not contacted them or Alex since sending him here and as far as he knew, any enemies of Alex were either dead, locked up, or unaware of where he was.

_Alex…Where did you go?_ Edward wondered.

Going downstairs and ignoring the cries of his daughter as her mother tried to calm her; he picked up the phone and called the last number he had ever wanted to.

MI6.

* * *

Mrs. Boone was sitting at the table, continuously glancing at the window. The day was ticking away, growing later and later. She had had to come home early because there was a maintenance man coming over. Because of this, she had asked Theo to come home before they went to meet his father to eat at seven.

It was six-thirty and Theo should have been home a long time ago. Theo hadn't called or texted, not even an email, to explain where he was. Mrs. Boone's worries had gone from anger to worry.

Mrs. Boone sighed and called her husband, who didn't answer immediately. Once he did, Mrs. Boone explained what had happened. From there, they agreed to contact Ike.

"Ike Boone speaking," said the irritable man as Mr. Boone called him from his office.  
"Ike…Is Theo still there?" Mr. Boone asked a hint of worry in his voice.

"No, he left an hour ago…I think," Ike said, "Why? Did he not get home?"

"No…But…thanks…," Mr. Boone said before abruptly hanging up and calling his wife.

Ike looked at his phone before putting it away, grabbing a jacket, and heading out.

Soon, the town knew that Theodore Boone was missing and all of his friends were searching for him, hanging flyers and this time the police didn't argue because Ike had convinced them not to. How, nobody was told. April Finnemore was helping this and her and some other students found out that Theo had been checking his phone before he sped off down a road surrounded by trees. Judge had been very far behind.

An officer, one of the neighbors, goes with Ike to investigate the road. They didn't want the kids coming in case there was murder involved.

Ike was walking down the dark road along with the officer, who held a flashlight. Then a dog began whining.

"Judge?" Ike called, answered by a louder whine. The two men shared a look before heading off further down the road where the whining was. Ike saw the shape of Judge as he got there before the officer.

Once the officer was there, the flashlight revealed a grisly scene.

Judge was bloody and unable to get up, at least one bullet wound visible on his side, and maybe more and possibly been kicked aside. There were two phones in Judge's pool of blood.

"This is Theo's," Ike said, picking up the one on the left. The officer glared at him and called the station. They investigated the scene, and Ike took Judge to the animal hospital. The blood was both human and dog. Judge's and…Theo's…The phones were processed and a mysterious text was discovered.

Along with an owner to the unidentified phone.

April Finnemore, one of Theo's closest friends, was taken to the police station. Her phone had previously been stolen from school after dying, and had just been phone.

"Miss…Your phone was in a most suspicious place," the officer began.

"Where?" April asked, trying to seem uninterested.

"The crime scene…Along with a text sent to Theo that he must have thought was from you. We don't suspect you, but tell us if anyone would have reason to use you…your phone…as bait." April's mouth opened and closed, not a sound coming out.

She didn't notice the lone tear escape her now moist eyes and slide down her cheek and onto the floor.


	3. The Beginning

**A/N: For all my lovely reviewers, a very early update. So enjoy please! And tell me what you think of the story/chapter! **

"Is everything ready?" asked a male voice. The room was dark, and a large desk separated the two. The one who spoke was sitting in the shadows and the other was standing in front of the desk.

"Yes, the three boys are fast asleep in bed, and should not wake until the morn," the second man said, his voice deeper than the previous'.

"Good, good. And the cover-up for their homes, their families?"

"Theodore, kidnapped, James, dead party boy, and Alex, a runaway who will soon be found dead. The older ones were the hardest, and Theo already had a crime scene."

"Excellent…Get back to work," the leader growled. The standing man nodded and exited quickly.

_They are all together…my plan is working out wonderfully…The boys will need me, even if they won't admit it. Two are broken, and one's a child._ The man gave a smile, revealing a chipped front tooth.

* * *

Light streamed in through the window and onto Theo's face. Theo groaned.

"Five more minutes," he moaned, turning onto his stomach and concealing his face into the soft pillow. Theo snuggled into the pillow and sighed.

_So soft…I wonder how Judge-_ Theo sat up suddenly and fell out of the bed.

"Judge? Judge?" he asked frantically, looking around. This wasn't his room…and the light…the light wasn't sunlight. Theo started screaming, when he did the door to his room flew open and a young woman entered.

"It is alright Theo, we are not your enemies," she assured Theo taking his shoulders. Theo relaxed and stopped screaming as he saw how pretty she was. He gave a goofy smile and the young woman rolled her eyes.

"I am Molly, are you alright now?" Molly asked and Theo, with his silly smile, nodded a confirmation. "Good, now come with me." Molly helped Theo to stand and Theo saw he was wearing pajamas. He thought he remembered being in clothes, but he really didn't remember a lot after leaving Ike's.

* * *

James blearily opened his eyes and sat up. Rubbing his eyes and yawning, James took in his surroundings.

_It's shiny…like highly polished silver._ James noted before tensing. This wasn't his room. It was unfamiliar, frightening. Quickly getting up, James carefully inspected the room.

"Well, nothing dangerous," James mumbled to himself as he looked under, over, behind, and in the various furniture of the room. Which actually wasn't much, but paranoid James was very thorough.

There was a knock at his door, taking stock of his wrinkled pajamas and unmade bed, he made a decision.

"Come in," he evenly spoke. The door opened and a silent and brooding man entered. The man didn't utter a word as he started to make the bed. James was confused, but headed for the doorway; occasionally looking back to see what the man was doing. James was ignored for the time being, and he stepped out into the hallway.

It was quiet, too quiet for James' newfound paranoia. Suddenly, he heard bare feet…_running_.

"What the he-" he said after looking up and seeing a blur…that plowed right into him.

James slammed onto the ground and his head whipped back and crashed onto the ground. He felt the blood as it got into his hair and onto the floor.

"You berk," he grunted, teeth clenched together from the pain.

The figure rolled off of James and James heard more footsteps before everything became a blur.

* * *

Alex woke up before the lights streamed into his window. Frantically, he searched the room with his eyes as the mysteriousness of what had happened the last night he was at the Pleasures' came back.

_Where am I? Who are they? Is it MI6? Scorpia? Someone else I've ticked off?_

Alex mentally went through all of those he had crossed as he searched his room for anything that hinted where he was…or who this was. He found no bugs, bombs, or any of that. That meant that they weren't going to kill him yet or care what he said…or they were _really _good. Alex jumped and landed in a defensive position when the door opened.

"Alex?" a woman asked looked very much like Jack. Alex ran at her and knocked her aside.

"Lies! Let me out!" Alex shouted as he turned away from another open door and rushed down the hall. He felt the flat floor as he pounded down the hall and he got snagged on a handle. He nearly fell, but Alex pushed himself back up and there was a loud rip as his short was torn away from his back. He went past several doors, he was sure, and then he saw a boy step out of another room.

_Oh shi-_ Alex ploughed right into the boy whose eyes had gotten big right before Alex knocked him over.

_There goes my escape plan…_

"You berk," grunted the boy. Alex started when he heard it. _Is this boy English then?_ Alex rolled off of the boy and stood up as the woman from earlier ran up as well as a man emerge from the boy's room.

"Come with me Alex, he'll be alright, come on now," the woman assured, taking Alex's hand and leading him away.

The last glimpse Alex had of the boy was the boy lying prone on the ground and blood pooling at his head.

* * *

"Daddy?" Edward Pleasure turned around as he heard his daughter come down the stairs.

"Sabina, go back to bed sweetheart," Edward said. Sabina looked younger than her fifteen years, dressed in pink pajamas and holding a similarly pink stuffed rabbit. There was a man in a black suit in front of Mr. Pleasure at the door.

"Is it Alex? Is he okay?" Sabina asked, taking note of the man and wondering if Alex was back in the 'business'.

"Sir…as I was saying," the man continued, "We have found evidence that Alex was seen crossing the California/Mexico border and may have run into trouble."

"Trouble? You don't mean-"

"We haven't found…him…but everything points to…him no longer being with us," the spy said, trying to be sensitive as Sabina was right there. Sabina, for her part, kept silent and stayed still.

"Thank you Mister...?"

"Daniels, Ben Daniels," Ben said, taking Edward's now outstretched hand. Ben nodded to the hushed Sabina and departed. When he had left and the door had closed, Sabina rushed at her daddy. Edward opened his arms and scooped in Sabina. No words were spoken, but Edward hummed a little lullaby as Sabina cried her heart out in his arms.

* * *

"Jam-m-mes w-w-as a good f-f-friend," Perry Mandeville said, his stutter worse since James had disappeared. Many suspected he knew what had happened to James, or at least had been there. Perry, to his horror, remembered blurry images of a river and then there was nothing else of that night.

"I-I w-w-w-wish I c-c-could rem-m-em-mber th-hat night a-an-d-d solve the m-m-m-mystery of one of the gre-astest b-b-oys I kn-n-new." Tears were freely coming down Perry's face and he couldn't go on. He was led away and off the small platform by Amy Goodenough, who had decided not to say anything. Chariman now took her place up there.

"James will be missed most dearly, you might be expecting a long, boring story of how much I loved him and his life before it was taken, but I shall not bore you. I am only glad that James is reunited with his parents, though he was much too young to join them yet." With that, she just walked off and a deeper hush came over the crowd.

It was hard for so many of them to envision a boy who wasn't even sixteen yet to lose his life in this way…in an unknown way and possibly doing what most his age did anyways.

* * *

April sat in her room, door locked and hiding under her bed covers. There was a tentative knock at the door.

"Go away," April called, cringing at how her voice cracked.

"But it's been forever sine I've seen you," a tenor voice said.

"August?" April asked, her voice not cracking but higher pitched than normal.

"If I say yes, may I come in?" August implored. April pulled the cover off of her head, causing some hairs to stand up, and then walked to the door. After removing the chair and opening it, she saw it was indeed her brother. She jumped into his open arms and shook, but shed no tears. Her tears were gone. August picked her up and walked to the bed.

"Shh…shh…let it out, go on," August said, rubbing his sister's back as she cried. He sat down and held her in his lap.

"He's gone…," April moaned, "and I never told him…"

"Told him what sweet April?" August questioned, using his nickname for her.

"I liked Theo…and now…now he's…" Finally the tears came back and August tightened his hug on April. He began to rock her as she cried her heart out.


	4. Theodore Steps Up

**A/N: I love getting reviews and I'm glad people are enjoying this story! :D So…This chapter is a bit choppy, so I apologize for that. I was too lazy to fix it (XD), but I'll do better next chapter. Tell me in a review what you thought, if you would please.**

James found himself waking up in a shiny room again. Except this one smelled…strange, clean somehow. It was unfamiliar, but yet a little familiar. James felt a headache, and he thought the smell was making it worse.

"Ugh…," James moaned as he sat up. The boy that had crashed into him was standing there with a man beside him. Light burned James' eyes as he tried to focus on the two.

"Um…sorry, I was foolishly trying to leave…," the boy mumbled.

"You cannot leave without permission," the man said, "and Alex and you learned the hard way."

"What…?" questioned a dizzy James before he fell backwards onto the bed again.

_We can never leave?_ Alex thought. He turned quickly to the stoic man. _They so blatantly reveal themselves…except for the reason for trapping us._ Alex gritted his teeth and began to shake in anger. Suddenly, before even his reflexes recognize it, the man grabs Alex' arm and drags him out of the hospital room. Alex was led to a room that reminded him of a classroom and Alex saw a kid…probably two years his junior.

_A kid…They brought a kid…_ Alex thought faintly, his jaw loosening and almost dropping.

"Hi," the kid greeted as the man left, "My name's Theodore Boone. Most people call me Theo, what's yours?"

"Alex Rider." Theo nodded.

"So…do you know what this place is?" Theo asked, sitting down at a desk in the room. There were some desks scattered around, and Alex sat in one where he could view the entire room.

"No, I don't…" Alex kept silent about his suspicions, not wanting his past to come up. Suddenly, a hidden door flew open and Alex leapt from his desk and rushed at the person in the blink of an eye. Alex knocked the man onto his back.

"What are you doing?" a stunned and slightly frightened Theo asked. Then the man started laughing.

"You are good comrade," laughed the booming Russian. Alex' blood boiled as the man laughed, and then got him off. "Go sit, go sit," the man commanded to Alex. Alex stayed there until the man gave him a glare. Alex bowed his head and then got up and went back to the desk he had been sitting at. He had knocked it over and had to pick it up.

"Ve shall be a studying espionage, "the man announced. Alex' eyes widened.

"Yes comrade, you vill be included later." Then the man laughed at Alex' horrified face. Theo turned to face Alex and mouthed a 'Why?' to him. Alex shook his head at Theo.

"Come, let us start now," the man said with a grin.

Theo and Alex were being led to the cafeteria long after they should have had lunch, in Theo's mind. They had had a crash course in the early history of espionage before the man, whose name turned out to be Gunther, made them practice and attempt all of these. To further Theo's shock, Alex picked up on a few of these methods quickly. Theo was beginning to wonder if Alex was spy…however unlikely that might be.

_But it is? I know nothing of the British spy things, and besides, I _have _heard rumors of a kid being involve in…stuff…Or so Ike rambles to me while buzzed._ Theo shook his head, and cringed. The next thing that had happened was that Gunther had taken them to a slightly hysterical Polish woman.

_-Flashback-_

_Theo and Alex were left with this woman and Theo followed her in._

"_Get into the pods! Do it now!" the woman screeched. Theo followed her orders, but Alex didn't._

"_Do it you brat! Why do _I _always get these kids? GO!" The woman pulled out a ruler from nowhere and started whacking Alex' legs._

"_Alright! Alright!" Alex shouted, getting into the pod._

_The doors closed and the woman went to her desk._

"_Poland is beautiful this time of year," the woman said, losing her hysteria. Theo felt odd, saw blurry lines in his vision, and then got an eyeful of blue sky before crashing down onto a paved road._

"_Oh d***it!" the woman shouted from somewhere far away. "This is Brussels, not my home! Go and complete the mission."  
"What mission?" asked the far-off voice of Alex. It was then Theo realized his ears were ringing and he turned and saw that Alex was close by._

"_Yes, yes, go and find the blue flag. You must blend in and not be caught be anyone wearing a blue bow tie…It may not be obvious, blah, blah, blah…NOW GO!"_

_Alex immediately ran off, leaving poor Theo alone._

"_Ah man…"_

_Theo wandered around for a while, sure he was sticking out. But he wasn't attacked…But Theo was paranoid and then ran into an alleyway and found Alex and a strange man in the middle of a fight…And the man had a blue tie._

_-End of Flashback-_

Alex had won, but only after Theo had managed to snag him out of a bind and they combined forces. How Theo had gotten him out of the man's grip, even Theo wasn't sure of.

In the cafeteria, everyone treated Theo and Alex well, so Theo began to let his guard fall…to be like a child among them. This would prove a dastardly mistake on the boy's part.

James was finally released, and had bandages wrapped around his head. He was told his schooling would be put off for another couple of days.

_Schooling for what?_ James wondered, highly suspicious of these people. Nobody was this kind without a motive and what of what that man had said when the boy had apologized…? James grimaced as he thought too hard for his still sore brain. Once back in his room, James lay down on his bed and closed his eyes.

_That kid was on the right track…we need to get out of here…_

Days and days go on, James being taught separately to catch up on all the years his was missing to be on par with the other boys. Theo finds nothing suspicious with the kind staff, particularly the young woman named Molly who dots on him. Theo and Alex have basic schooling, the odd training with Gunther and the crazy lady, and the only class they share with James is the one with Gunther.

That all changes one night a month after their kidnapping.

Theo was walking the halls, breaking curfew. He was musing on home, and was wondering why he was here…And if Alex and James might be right. But his thinking is cut off when, upon reaching Alex' room (he had been heading there for a chat) there was suddenly loud screaming. Theo hurriedly to get the door open, which was locked.

"Alex! Alex! What's wrong? What is it?" shouted a now frenzied Theo. Molly suddenly came up.

"Theo! What are you doing up? Come on, let's get you back to bed," Molly scolded, ignoring Alex and taking Theo by the arm.

"Molly! Alex-Alex is screaming and we need to help him!" Theo said, starting to have reality come crashing down on his head.

"Theo, come to bed," Molly ordered. Theo suddenly couldn't breathe. He had been panicking so badly he must have irritated his asthma. Theo felt himself falling down…down…down…

Theo was sleeping, or had been, when Molly and a man were talking.

"We need to be sure all doors are locked, _no_ exceptions," the man said.

"Of-of course sir," Molly said with a slight quiver in her voice. Two pairs of footsteps indicated them leaving.

_I was a fool…All the signs pointed to it, and yet I was easily swept away by these people._ Theo opened his eyes and took a deep breath.

_Today's a new day…Time to take action like Alex has tried._

James, in his sleep, tightened his grip on his sheets. A look of pain was on his face and then he let out a guttural scream. Nobody came to his aide…nobody at all…

In the morning, or later that morning, all the boys were gathered in the cafeteria. James saw dark circles under Alex' eyes and finally really looked at the two boys.

Alex was of average height, but could get taller. He also had a weathered look to him with his fair hair and closed-off brown eyes. This boy had been through something, and something that required much physical demand. James himself must be similar, because of all he had been through. James blew the black comma of hair from his eyes and rubbed his blue-gray eyes.

Theodore was still young and innocent with braces in his mouth, and James had recently learned about braces and found them fascinating. He was certainly the youngest, but there was something off today…something that-

"James," Theo said, speaking up.

"What is it?" James asked, straightening up. Alex was chewing on his nails, but nobody noticed.

"How do you," here Theo leaned in, "think we could get out?" He said all of this quietly so that hopefully nobody would hear them.

The two boys blinked, but before they can say anything, they are dismissed from the cafeteria.

Alex was putting together something when he heard Theo speak…and wished he didn't.

"Gunther, why doesn't anybody care that my friends have nightmares? Well, that is if James is too," Theo said. Gunther stared at Theo in shock.

"Vell comrade, come with me," he said, taking Theo's shoulder and roughly leading him out.

_Oh no…This isn't good._ Alex got up and attempted to follow them, but saw that they were gone. Alex then ran down the halls to try and find someone to help.

James was the first person Alex found.

"Theo…Gunther took him away…we need to find him," Alex said in a rush.

"What? Why? Theo hasn't done anything," said a shocked James.

"I think he has…He's been defiant to them, and they don't like it," Alex said. James nodded and the two ran off.

Molly was watching them and knew what was going to happen to Theo. To all of them…The plan had failed and soon all of them will be killed. Molly gave a sad sigh while thinking all these young boys will soon be no more. She then sets out to help them find their friend.

But they cannot know that she is helping. She goes to the control room and begins to start pressing buttons. She dimmed lights and made sure all doors that could be remotely be unlocked were. And she had Gunther go and wait in a room to guard as a false lure to the boys…Or so she said. Molly made sure Gunther had the keys.

_Now to sit back and wait…_ But then the door flew open.

"What are you doing?" the man with the chipped tooth shouted, rushing at Molly.

"Nothing sir! Please! Please!" she begged as he pinned her to the ground. Molly had sealed her fate, and a single gunshot rang through the room. None of the guards who had come with the man flinched.

James was the first to notice something odd. Some of the lights were dimmer than others. He had no idea which way to go, but when he and Alex go the route that is brightest, they find no sign of Theo and all the doors are unlocked.

So instead they go down the dimly lit route…and see it is set up like a jail.

"Search every room," James says, trying every door and Alex went into the first unlocked one. They searched for any clue as to where Theo was…before the unthinkable happened.

Alex gave a cry from the third room he was searching and James rushed back and into the room. Alex had a bleeding nose, but was locked in a sparring match with Gunther. James saw keys on Gunther's belt loop and joined the fray.

Alex kicked Gunther's face and James delivered a punch to the gut. Gunther collapsed and struck his head on the floor. He didn't move, but James removed the keys from his belt.

"Is he…dead?" Alex asked while staring at Gunther with all of the color drained from his face. James felt for a pulse.

"I feel a faint one, but we need to find Theo," James said, hoping to snap Alex out of whatever was happening. Alex nodded slowly and then they left. For the next two hours, they tried every key on every door.

"Wait…there might be hidden doors," Alex said, "The first day of his…_class_…Gunther used one."

"Alright, we'll search every room that way," James said. Another hour passed before they found anything.

"It fits!" James shouted, turning the key in a key hole by a bookshelf. The bookshelf sank into the wall and a cool gust of wind blew in.

"Hello?" asked a timid voice. It was Theo.

They had found him.

**A/N: So…Review please? I'll try better next chapter :D**


	5. The Blue

**A/N: Reading over the previous chapter before I started this one made me realize how clumsy and awkward it was…I wish I was a better author. Good ideas, bad writing style…BAH! I'll end my rant here…Here's to a new chapter!**

"They haven't killed you yet!" James exclaimed. He and Alex had already shouted their exuberance at finding Theo, but this had slipped out before James could stop it, even though it was quite obvious that Theo was alright.

"Yeah, I-I'm still alive," Theo said shakily. He was quite pale and he struggled to get up. Theo had been thrown in here and the whole ordeal had rattled him. Alex took Theo's arm unsteadily, and was very pale himself. He was still rattled by what had happened with Gunther. He wanted out of here, of course, but he didn't want to kill people in the process of it…Alex shook his head, his sweaty hair sticking to his forehead. James turned himself around to glance around the room.

"There are no guards, which is rather strange," he muttered to himself, not really thinking they were listening.

"They said I was in the detention hall, and that my punishment would be in the morning…Maybe we can get out through something here," Theo rambled, hoping that in identifying where they were it would spur the thinking juices.

"There wouldn't be anything here," James pointed out, crossing his arms. He then exhaled loudly. "But we _do_ need to get out quickly, otherwise…Well; it wouldn't be good that's what."

"Let's just go," Alex said, before heading out. James watched him go, wondering why he was letting the death of Gunther get to him so bad. Gunther might not even be dead…A light bulb then went off in James's brain.

_Ah…He can't stand the idea of killing anyone…Now the question is why that is…_ James shook his head and followed the seasoned spy. He would not dwell on this now. Theo plodded along behind them.

Theo stayed silent, and he tried to walk quietly as he followed them.

_Why was I brought here? I have no purpose, nothing compared to them… _Theo was brought out of his musings when he bumped into James.

"Sorry," he muttered. He looked around the older boy to see why they stopped. There were lots and lots of guards.

"S***…," James said as he took it in. Alex and James turned and ran.

"It's the escapees!" a man shouted, a little late. Theo ran backwards a bit and then turned and ran after his companions, nearly tripping over his own feet.

The sound of many pounding feet filled Theo's ears and he began to slow as his breathing become ragged-his asthma was being irritated. He heard a crash behind him, like someone fell to the floor, and then he was up in the air. He was staring towards the soldiers now and he was over someone's shoulder. Theo tried to regulate his breathing, but it was made twice as hard because he was jostled about on the man's shoulder. The man turned sideways and ran into a room where the door was slammed shut. The soldiers had been left in the man's dust a few turns back.

"You alright?" James asked as he set Theo on the ground. Theo clutched at his chest, unable to answer.

James turned to Alex, hoping he understood better what to do in this situation. James may have been caught up on technology, but he forgot many a thing of the future.

"Do you have your inhaler?" Alex asked Theo, leaning down to be eye level with the prone Theo. Theo's eyes were wide and his breaths came in short bursts. He managed to shake his head his head no.

"Breathe…like…this…," Alex said after a moment, breathing deeply and slowly between each word. James glanced at the door as the men approached, the sound of their feet growing ever louder. Theo mimicked Alex's actions and soon he leaned back against the ground, exhausted but alright.

Alex gave a small smile, but quickly smothered it and got out of the squat he had been in. It was time for business. Alex looked around and saw a door for a closet that jutted into the room.

_Maybe that's a way out…_

He walked up to it and James looked over when he heard Alex move.

"Alex…What do you think you are doing?" James asked him, walking over. Alex grabbed the knob and turned it before he answered.

"I'm finding out what's in here," Alex replied and James opened his mouth to tell him to stop, but all words failed the both of them. Alex opened the door and there was something incredible inside…

Something neither of them had ever seen.

It was a machine in the shape of a ring. Within the ring, something blue swirled. It was didn't belong here, it seemed, it seemed to belong to the realms of science fiction.

"Is…that…," Alex started, unsure of what it was.

"Is that a portal?" Theo asked. The two boys turned towards him, having both been startled. Theo had pushed himself up and saw what they saw when he did. He walked up to them now, a little unnerved by their stares.

"What now?" he asked just as someone rammed into the door.

"We go," James quickly responded, taking a chance and running at the portal. He was gone in an instant of nearing it. Theo gasped in fright at the disappearance of James. Alex went up to the portal next.

"Well, come on," Alex said, staring at Theo. Theo shook his head; he didn't want to go, he was afraid of what it was and what it could do. Alex groaned in exasperation and ran up to the wide-eyed Theo. He grabbed the startled boy around the waist and then tossed him through the blue portal. Alex hopped in after him, grabbing the door as he went. The closet door slammed shut as some of the men broke down the other door.

"Where'd they go?" a man demanded. He had on stripes over his pocket that indicated himself as the leader of this squadron. He looked around and saw the door. "Ah-ha, I've got you now!" He ran up and threw the door open. He had his rifle ready for…nothing.

The blue portal had vanished and nobody was inside.

"D*****!" the man shouted in frustration, throwing his rifle down.

**A/N: I decided to give it to you a little earlier than planned, and I didn't want to add more to it considering what's next XD**


	6. And It All Starts Rolling

James found himself rolling down a hill, and when he finally came to a stop, he was cut up and bruised all over. He wearily pushed himself into a sitting position and wiped the blood pooling at the corner of his mouth. He looked around as he came to his senses.

The hill wasn't very tall, but steeps enough for his very lovely ride down it. James's feet were brushing against a dirt path, and he heard a horn…

_By-_ James didn't get to finish the thought as a car came around the corner. He pulled his legs away from the road and the driver swore at him, but kept going. James stood up and he heard a yell. James turned back to the hill.

Theo was now rolling down the hill, losing one of his shoes in the process. James moved out of the way and grabbed Theo's shirt before the boy rolled into the road.

"Thanks," Theo said, dusting himself off once he was standing.

"You're welcome, but we have a-"James was cut off as someone else hit the hill. The two looked up and saw Alex gripping the side of the hill. Alex looked down and saw them. When he did, he let go and slid the rest of the way down after flipping onto his back. He quickly hopped onto his feet and looked at the two.

"Where are we?" Alex asked, not recognizing the area. James looked around. The dirt path, the car from earlier, and now the plodding of horse hooves…

Horse hooves!

"We have to go! Someone's coming!" James exclaimed, grabbing at Theo and pulling him up the hill.

"Wait, shouldn't we stick around to ask them-"Theo was cut off as James hushed him and dragged him up the hill. Alex nimbly followed behind, occasionally checking behind him. When they reached the top of the hill, James released Theo.

"Lay down, so they won't see us," James said. He got on his stomach and pressed himself flat against the top of the hill. Alex obeyed and Theo scrambled to follow their example.

A horse dragging a cart rounded the corner that the car had. A single man was sitting on the wagon and the wagon was full of hay. The three pairs of eyes watched the man and his horse until he rounded the next corner and disappeared.

"Why was there a horse and a wagon?" Theo asked being the first to break the silence. James turned to him as Alex looked at James questioningly.

"Because Theo, we aren't in your or Alex's time…We're in mine. A car went by before you two showed up, and I know when we are, just not exactly where."

"When we are…Do you mean we traveled through time?" Theo asked, "Like a wormhole?" James looked at Theo in question at the term wormhole.

"Now we know how they got all of us," Alex muttered.

"Indeed," James said, "Now, we should go before someone finds us. And maybe we'll figure out where we are." James stood up and slowly went down the hill. He followed the road towards where the man had gone. Theo and Alex looked at each other, and then Alex followed James.

"Why me…," Theo grumbled before following after the other boys.

A few painful miles down the road, the trio of time travelers came to a farm.

"Stop," James said, sticking his arm out and halting both Alex and Theo.

"What's wrong?" Theo asked, looking around. All he saw was a farm, but then he figured it out. "Oh…We shouldn't speak to them, right? Especially me." Theo moved his tongue around his braces, understanding how out of place he was. James nodded.

"Then what? We can't do anything here if we can never speak to anyone!" Alex exclaimed, throwing up his arms in frustration. James groaned, hoping they weren't too loud. Alex glared at his ally.

"Listen, we're all in this together, I'll go and find out where we are and then we can figure it out from there, okay?" James asked, knowing their meager friendship was now being put to the test. Theo nodded and Alex, after a time, did so tersely. James picked up dirt and got it all in his hair, face, and clothes before removing his socks and shoes.

"To get answers, I have to look like I'm lost and belong in this time," James said. He _did_ belong in this time, but not dressed as he was. Once he looked like a ruffian, he walked off. Alex pulled Alex towards the fields and lowered them behind the hay stacks.

Theo pulled his shirt over his face, not needing an asthma attack now of all things. Alex never glanced at him and peered around the corner, waiting for James to get back.

It took an agonizing hour for James to return.

"Well?" Alex asked harshly, taking in the crumbs at the corner of James's mouth.

"Scotland and here." James pulled out a cloth bag and tossed it to Alex, who caught it easily. Theo still had his nose and mouth covered.

"What's with you?" James asked, being the only one to notice this.  
"I have asthma, and I didn't want to have an attack," Theo answered slowly.

"You have asthma? Since when?" Alex asked, trying to cover up his guilt with anger.

"Since I was nine…," Theo answered, confused about why Alex was snapping at him.

"Hush you too! These people fed me and I found out I'm near my bordering school...Plus, the son gave me this." James pulled out a pocket knife. "Could be useful…" Alex eyed it and then Theo.

"Very," Alex agreed, looking away very quickly.

"I couldn't find clothes, unfortunately, but maybe somewhere else," James said. Alex accepted this and stood up with the sack of food.

"Let's go then," he said. He turned and started walking away. James helped Theo up and the two followed after the quick Alex.

Elsewhere in the past, a blue portal again appeared. Three men stepped out and one was the leader.

"They came out near here," the man said, "Go house to house if you must to find them." The leader left at a fast pace, leaving his companions to go their separate ways to find the boys. The leader, unknowingly, started down the road that would lead him to the house the boys visited.

Theo tried pushing him off, but it was no use. He sighed in defeat and let what was about to happen to him happen.

Alex was holding the knife and had pinned Theo down to the ground.

"Open your mouth wide," Alex told Theo, to which Theo reluctantly did. Alex stuck the pocket knife in Theo's mouth and began cutting the rubber bands around the braces. "Try not to move." Theo watched what Alex was doing, terrified to move.

James was nearby, taking stock of the food. He had also placed himself near the way they had come, so he could hear whether anyone had followed them or not. James finished up and waited for Alex to get off of Theo. The rubber bands and some metal coils were by Theo's head now.

Theo gasped as Alex started to try and get the brackets out, it hurt Theo as Alex was doing that. Alex gritted his teeth in concentration, being very, _very_ careful to not cut open Theo's mouth as he did this near-surgery on the boy's teeth.

James stood up and wandered off, to take scoop of their surroundings. As he was walking, he heard someone tramping in the woods. James froze, looking around in fear.

_Who's there?_ He thought, wise enough to know it would be foolish to call out. James waited for the footsteps to get closer before he started to tiptoe over towards it. He gasped as he saw who it was.

It was somebody from their prison, though he didn't know exactly who it was. The man looked up and saw James.

"You!" he shouted, running at James. James turned and ran, yelling for Theo and Alex to run too. James came to where the others where, and saw that Theo had tripped while they had been running. James pulled him up and realized the boy had trouble running.

"What's wrong?" he asked as he dragged Theo.

"I-I don't know! I can't feel my leg!" Theo shouted and James looked down. He could partially see through one of the younger boy's legs.

"What the h***?" James muttered as he continued to drag Theo with him. The man was soon gaining on them. James couldn't run far while dragging Theo. Just as James was about to pull Theo on his back, the boy fell again and brought James down with him. James landed hard on his face and felt a tooth snap. He moaned and rolled onto his side to see where the man was.

Alex suddenly jumped from the bushes, James saw, and side-tackled the man that was mere feet from the fallen companions. The man grunted as he slammed into the ground, and James realized whatever had happened to Theo was happening to Alex. Alex' stomach was much paler than the rest of him. James pushed himself up and slowly made his way to them.

Alex had the man pinned, but his arms were shaking.

"Who are you? And why are you following us?" James demanded, putting his foot on the man's chest. Blood began to seep from the corner of his mouth.

"Like you care and you know why," the man growled. Alex punched the man in the face, falling over.

"So it's already happening…," the man muttered as he saw Alex and Theo.

"What's happening? D*** it what did you b******* do to them?!" James shouted at the man, getting off of him and pulling him up. The man looked like he could hit himself. His nose was red from Alex's blow though, which James got satisfaction from.

"We did nothing to the-Fine! Fine!" the man shouted as James got ready to throw him to the ground, "I'll talk! Listen, time travel…Is not…safe. You are their past, they are your future."  
"What the h*** does that mean?" James demanded.

"You mean…Because we know James…We're dying?" Theo asked, feeling like he was in some sci-fi movie.

"Right kiddo," the man said, suddenly kicking James's legs out from under him. James fell and landed hard on his backside. The man turned tail and fled the scene.

"We need to fix this problem," Alex murmured, unable to get off the ground.

"How do you propose we do that?" James asked, looking the others over and seeing they couldn't move.

"…We could send James back to when he was taken," Theo quietly suggested. Alex and James turned to him, wondering why they didn't think of that.

"…Please stop staring and somebody help me up," Theo said, burying his face in the ground.

"Right, right…," James said, pulling Theo up. He propped the boy against a tree and went to get Alex.

"Lemme 'elp ya with that," a man spoke. James spun around, ready to fight. A tall, bulky man was standing there, wearing a similar uniform as the other man.

"How many are there?!" Alex shouted and the man laughed, putting his hands up in surrender.

"Just 'ere to 'elp…Horace 'as some screw loose in 'is mind, if you ge' w'a' I'm a sayin'," the man spoke, stepping forward.

"And how would you help us?" James asked, "And who's Horace?"

"Ya can't carry them boys…And Horace is yer so-err…the leader," the man said.

"My what?" James asked, catching the man's slip up. The man sighed and Alex and Theo turned to him.

"Yer son, James Bond. 'Orace Bond is 'is name."

"…What?" Theo asked, being the first to recovery from his shock.

**A/N: Nearly two-thousand words, yes! (That is, not including this; with this it is a little **_**over **_**two-thousand words) Well, everything's coming to a head now, and I guess we're about halfway or so…I don't know, depends on how much I put in the chapters after this. By the way my readers, it'd be nice to receive reviews on how much y'all do or do not like this story. It makes me sad knowing it hasn't been reviewed in forever…I can't help that at home I have no internet access. (Well, I've had _one_ reviewer this month, but the ones before was a month to two months before...) Oh, and to inspire some of y'all to review, there might be one or two more chapters before I head home from vacation. Once more, depends on how long it takes me to type up. Until the next chapter (and ending this really long author's note) goodbye!**


	7. Horace

"I-I have a what now…?" James stuttered, trying to make sense of what this man was saying. The man leaned down and forced something down Theo's throat.

"No' _a_ what, but_ three_ whats. In tha future, ya go' three boys. One of 'em is 'Orace, me crazy boss and tha others are…Well one if named James and now what's tha other ones…" The man rubbed his chin and Theo coughed and then blinked.

"What did you give me?" he asked, "My legs are coming back!" James pushed the weirdo aside and went to check on Theo. It was true. Theo's legs had disappeared up to his knees, but now they were returning.

"How did-What did you give-Uh…" James struggled to find the words and the man laughed.

"These pills, see? Pop 'em in and it'll fix tha damaged souls," the man said, handing one to Alex. Alex scowled, but then he put it into his mouth and swallowed. He grimaced because his stomach had faded before his legs.

James shook his head and turned to the man. However, the man spoke before James could.

"Now listen 'ere, 'Orace 'as no right ta do what he is, these boys 'n you is his kin, see. Tha' one is…Great-nephew? I dunno, but this one is either his gran'son or 'is great-gran'son," the man said, gesturing to Alex. Alex froze where he was, not believing what he just heard.

"Wait…They're…_descendants_ of mine?" James asked in disbelief.

"Why else would 'e take 'em?" the man asked before he looked around, "Gotta go boys." He took off running into the woods and disappeared.

"…I'm not sure he was trustworthy," Alex said. Theo shakily got up and leaned against the tree he had been propped up on.

"Then why would he bother to fix us instead of calling his boss?" Theo asked, bringing up a good point. James sighed; he didn't like this whole situation at all.

"We should find something, anything…Maybe London will have some answers," James said, grabbing Theo's arm and pulling him up. Alex had pushed himself up and was standing away from James. James shook his head, frustrated, and began walking away. Alex fell behind them and Theo slowed to join him.

"So…What's your favorite sport?" Theo asked, trying to break the icy silence. He realized they had never had good, normal chats while they were trapped together, so he was trying now.

"Overall? Football, though in America you call it soccer," Alex said, clearing up any confusion. Theo nodded and continued on.

"Favorite team?"  
"The Chelsea team, but I grew up near there, so it's not that surprising," Alex answered, relaxing as they walked. James continued on, listening in to their conversations.

"I bike a lot," Theo said, "But most kids in my neighborhood do. I'm a fan of the Minnesota Twins baseball team, because I felt they needed to be represented in my home since it seemed everyone else was."  
"I haven't seen much baseball," Alex said, "But it wasn't big back in London. Tennis, football—soccer, and basketball? Sure, baseball? Not so much."

"They have basketball in Great Britain?" Theo asked his friend. Alex laughed at Theo's oblivion and the funny face he pulled.

"Yes, they do and have had it for a long time," Alex laughed, all worry gone from his face. Theo was red, but he decided to keep the conversation going.

"Favorite drink?" Theo asked.

"Coca-Cola over all, but if I'm in France I like to get a sirop de grenadine," Alex said, waiting for the inevitable question.  
"And what is the grenade drink?" Theo asked, mishearing what Alex said.

_Called it,_ Alex thought as he smiled and shook his head.

"Not _grenade _but_ grenadine_," Alex replied, "It's French. Basically, it's a sugary, pomegranate drink."

"Oh, I guess that sounds good," Theo answered, shrugging. Alex opened his mouth to ask his own questions, but then he bumped into James.

"Hey," Alex started, but James put his finger to his lips. Alex immediately fell silent and looked around James to see what was wrong. Two men were around a small machine, and one of them was clearly the boss of the other man.

"It's another portal," Theo whispered as he saw the blue coming out of the small machine. The machine resembled something akin to a small box.

"…What now, _boss?_" Alex asked James, his good mood gone and him mocking James for taking the leadership role.

"…We storm them?" James suggested and they all fell silent.

"Okay," Theo agreed first.

"Alex?"

"Fine…"

"Good, then on three…two…"  
"One!" Theo shouted, running out of the forest and towards the two men.

Horace looked up as the three charged, taken aback when the smallest and youngest head-butted him in the gut.

"Oof!" Horace shouted as he doubled on top of Theo. Theo knocked him off and the other man reached for him, but James and Alex both tackled the man, easily bringing him down.

"Hold it up boys!" Horace shouted as he recovered. He pinned Theo to the ground and pulled a pistol out of his waistband, "We don't want your little-AH!" Theo punched Horace in the face and the pistol was shot. There was a scream and Theo pushed Horace back…Back into the blue portal. Theo pushed himself up and turned to see what had happened. The other man had been shot and James was under him.

"James! Alex!" Theo shouted, relieved they were okay. He ran over and helped Alex roll the bigger man off of James.

"My…That man…He looked…Looked like my uncle Ian…He…He _is_ my-my…," Alex couldn't finish the thought.

"Alex…It might not be true," James tried to reassure, putting his hand on Alex's shoulder. Alex shrugged it off.

"We have to stop him…," Alex said before he jumped into the blue portal. Theo turned to James.

"Come on, he can't take this alone," James said as he followed after Alex. Theo sighed before he too followed after them.

They were all soon hurtling, hurtling after Horace, who may be Alex's grandfather, and hurtling to the year it all began…  
The year _The Project_ was first made.

**A/N: And I'll leave it at that. I wrote this up quickly so grammar wise it's probably not great, **_**but**_** I decided to give y'all an extra chapter because of how long it takes me to update. (Blame the phone company who won't come to my house and fix the problem -_-) But now questions will be answered and total chaos will reign, muwhahaha!**


	8. Tick, Tock Goes the Clock

Horace landed on his feet in a dimly lit warehouse. He looked around and recognized it from old pictures.

"So this is where _The Project_ began? Well, father, you'll regret the day you found this place _and_ the day you were born," Horace laughed. He walked down the rows of metal parts, looking for a good place to hide.

"Alex could see me there, the little bugger, no…no…Father-_James_ would be suspicious. D*** it! Why are my father and grandson so good at this stuff?" Horace shouted, kicking over a bin of rubbish tools. He grumbled to himself and went into the shadows.

He waited and watched where he emerged, and he wasn't disappointed.

Alex soon appeared, stumbling, but didn't fall on his face or backside. Alex walked away so that if, or when, the others arrived, they wouldn't all crash into each other. James appeared next, stumbling and having to have Alex catch him.

"Thanks," James said, but Alex only gave him a curt nod. James frowned, wondering why Alex had decided to go silent. Alex let go of James and stepped away. James moved out of the way too, and just in time as Theo appeared and landed on his back.

"Oww…," Theo grumbled. James leaned down and took Theo by the shoulders, pulling the boy up.

"He could be anywhere," James said, "And it would be a bad-Alex!" Alex was walking away and James went after him. Theo sighed and looked around. He could hear a distant whir, which probably meant some sort of computer…And the stuff in here wasn't too ancient, so maybe he could.

_That's it!_ Theo thought, _I can hack into the computer and ruin everything!_ Theo grinned and ran off towards the whirring, wanting to be useful for once.

Horace watched all of the boys split up and grinned. They wouldn't know what hit them…He stalked off and followed after Theo.

James and Alex searched around the warehouse, suspicious as to why it was abandoned. Alex bent down and picked some papers off the floor. When he handed it to James, James read it.

"1980? That was an awful big jump…," James said as he heard a clunk. Alex and he both jumped and looked around. James dropped the paper and slid under the desk it had been on. Alex went behind a crate filled with wires and metal parts.

Two men came to the desk, dressed in black.

"Yes…Yes his name is Horace Bond, and no," one of the men said, "He wouldn't discuss James Bond. Still not sure if the spy was real or not."

"I think he was some of the old coots talk about how he found this place and brought the first researchers," the younger man said.

"Really? Well, we better hurry up," the older man said, "Their testing it soon over at the location." The two men grabbed some things from the desk and left hurriedly. James was scowling from where he was, not liking the idea of people questioning his existence.

Alex crawled out his hiding place and James followed him.

"So I'm some legendary spy? D*** it," James muttered, shaking his head. Alex clenched his fists and began walking where the men had come from.

"Hold up!" James shouted and grabbed Alex. "What's up with you?" Alex shook him off, not wanting his help. James frowned, but followed Alex as Alex strode off.

Theo walked into a room and his eyes grew large. These computers were _monsters!_ Theo went up and began searching all of it, trying his best to figure out what all of this was.

If he could, then he could destroy all of the programming for the time travel research and thus stop Horace before he started!

Something whirred and numbers flashed onto a screen.

"Let's see here…," Theo said, clicking some more buttons as he got a feel for this computer. He had hacking skills, and they were improved tenfold by the training at that darned prison. It was one of the very few pluses of that place.

Horace snuck into the room as Theo worked. He scowled and anger rose up in him. Theo was working like lightning now, corrupting the system and destroying highly sensitive information.

"BOY!" Horace shouted, rushing at Theo. Theo yelled and there was a crash as Horace slammed him into the computer.

James looked up as he heard the shout and crash.

"Alex…We have to go, _now_," James said urgently, running towards the noise. Alex watched him go before sighing and turning in the other direction. James didn't need him…  
Alex explored more of the warehouse, learning from bits and pieces that one of the machines was being tested today and that's why it was empty.

_But who leaves s warehouse like this unguarded?_ Alex thought as he heard more footsteps. He hid under a desk and saw booted feet and the barrels of two rifles.

_Never mind then…There _are_ guards…_ Alex crawled out when the footsteps faded away. Suddenly, the warehouse rattle and an eardrum-shattering noise shook the whole warehouse. Sirens went off and men began shouting.

"NO! NO! Not them!" Alex shouted, feeling in his gut that James and Theo were at the center of that explosion and that they were in immense danger. He took off running towards the source of the explosion. It was easily seen by the fire that had now erupted.

Alex pushed by a few guards, most too surprised by seeing a _boy_ in this place. The few who weren't, though, fired at Alex. Alex dodged as he ran, not needing a bullet wound in this critical moment. A bullet whizzes by Alex's ear, causing a friction burn as he round a corner. Alex gritted his teeth at the sudden pain, but kept going.

Alex soon saw the raging fire and that one of the support beams was hanging dangerously low.

"JAMES! THEO!" Alex shouted as he ran up to the burning room.

"Alex? Alex is that you?" James weakly called.  
"James?" Alex continued searching, moving some debris. He moved a wood board and found James covered in concrete dust. "James!

He tried to pull James away, but one of James' legs was pinned underneath a hunk of metal. Alex went up and lifted it up, groaning as strained to lift the very heavy thing. James pulled himself away, his leg not moving. Alex dropped it, narrowly missing his toes.

"Alright, we need to go!" Alex said, pulling James up. James gave a cry and fell.

"My leg…It's broken…," James said, clutching the lame leg.

"Shoot," Alex muttered, leaning down, "Wrap your arms around my shoulders then." James complied and Alex began dragging him away, carrying most of James's weight. There was a heavy shuddering as they got some yards away and Alex turns them around. The support beam Alex had seen had fallen, crushing all that was beneath it, including the room that had exploded.  
"Theo…," James said, looking on with horror.

"Wait…Theo was _in_ there?" Alex asked with even more horror. James numbly nodded as men came up to them.

"You are under arrest, your crimes will be read to you once we figure out exactly what you have done," a man with a green badge on his uniform said. All of the men had their guns pointed at Alex and James.  
"Yes sir…," they both said, giving up. They had no way of escaping, and Theo was dead…

One of the men pulled James away, hefting him over his shoulder. Another tied Alex's hands behind his back. They led the boys away from the fire to the other side of the warehouse, where they were locked in a small room. James in lying on the ground, unable to move with his broken leg and Alex is leaning against the door, unable to help his friend. The rope was cutting into Alex, and from outside there was yelling.

Alex assumed they were arguing over them until he heard gunshots. Both boys jumped in fright, and Alex tried to push himself up, to fight if he had too. Alex fell instead, and on top of James.

The door opened…  
"Oh my…," James started and Alex squeezed his eyes shut, ready for inevitable.

**A/N: Another chapter in a short amount of time! I managed to get it a somewhat decent length, and to everyone reading this, I guess there are about two chapters left. A few chapters back (two or three maybe) I said it was about halfway, I guess it was true, depending on how many chapters there are, but it's ending guys! I think next chapter I'll have an in the past moment, and then we'll see who opened the door…Hehehe….Oh, and please review your thoughts on this, if you will!**


	9. Goodbye

Theo was pressed against the computer, feeling the life being squeezed out of him.

_Mom…Dad…Ike…Judge…April…I'll never see them again…_ Theo took one last breath; sure it was all about to end.

"Release him!" James shouted as he kicked the door down. Horace turned, letting Theo crash onto the ground. Theo couldn't see properly, but once the blackness started to fade, he saw two shapes throwing punches.

_James and Horace…_ Theo thought. He pushed himself upright and struggled to crawl away from the fighting men. Theo came to the wall and pushed himself upright. He was breathing heavily and couldn't stand steady.

"Theo! Theo, look out!" Theo heard James shout. Theo looked up and saw Horace looming over him. The world was blurry and moving around as the injured boy quailed at the sight of Horace.

"Well, well…If it goes down, we go down with it," Horace said, reaching over and unveiling something. Theo couldn't tell what it was, but from James's gasp, it was something bad. James started running over there, but Theo fell as Horace reached over.

"You won't! You won't!" Theo rasped, grabbing onto Horace's legs. Horace kicked him away and Theo heard a beep.

_He pressed a button…_, Theo thought. A few second ticked by and then a horrendous roar filled Theo's ears and the world went black and yellow.

Theo rolled onto his side as he came to. He felt rocks underneath him, digging into his back and side. Theo grimaced, and he could only hear a ringing in his ears. Theo opened his eyes, and saw nothing but gray. Gray was floating in the air, gray was engulfing him, and gray…Gray wasn't alone.

He saw a flicker of orange in his sight and he turned his head.

Fire. Raging fire. Theo saw it, several yards away so maybe he was safe. But what happened?  
Theo struggled to remember, and then remembered that Horace had pushed a button.

_How am I not dead?_ Theo thought, realizing Horace blew up the computer room. Theo tried to move his arms, but found he couldn't. He looked from side to side and realized the world was going black again. Theo's breathing was haggard and the world was slipping away…

But before it completely slipped away from him, he felt wetness beneath him and saw a flash of red. Then, his world went black and Theo knew no more.

Alex waited…and waited…and waited. He opened his eyes and realized he wasn't dead. Alex felt himself pulled upwards and felt someone against his back.

"Relax boy, we are here to help," a man said. Alex slowly nodded and felt the bonds being undone. When they were, and before Alex could react, the man spun him around and pushed him out of the room. Alex stumbled out and someone else grabbed his arm. The man had a cheerful demeanor and grinned down at Alex.

"Hey there man," the man grinned, "You alright?" Alex blinked, thrown off by his attitude.

"Um…I guess so," Alex answered. The man laughed and patted Alex on the back.

"Well, call me Agent 028," Agent 028 grinned.

"Okay sir…Agent 028," Alex said, finding the name cumbersome.

"Or…You could call me Boris, if you'd rather," Boris shrugged. Alex nodded his head and didn't speak.

"Ow!" James cried. Alex turned and was going to help him when Boris stopped him.

"My buddy's just helping him out, listen; you probably want answers, no?" Boris asked. Alex opened and closed his mouth, not sure how to respond to that. Boris grinned at him.

"Thought so," Boris said, "Come with me." He took Alex by the arm and led him away. Alex saw several other men watching the guards and putting the weapons away. They continued on and Alex saw smoke briefly, remembering with a pang about Theo's fate. Soon Alex and Boris came to an office and Boris opened the door, pushing Alex in. Someone was already sitting…It was a boy…It was…

"Theo?" Alex asked, rushing up to the boy, "How did you survive?" Theo blinked at him in confusion. His clothes were tattered and bloody. Theo had cuts and looked like his had just been doused in a barrel of water. He also had visible stitches, showing where the cuts had been very deep.

"Do I know you?" Theo asked, searching Alex's face. Alex's face fell and he turned to Boris.

"We found him in a pool of blood and when we fixed him up, he couldn't remember a thing. We think he suffered brain damage after he passed out," Boris said, "Because he was unconscious when we found him." Alex felt his spirits die inside of him.

"What do you remember?" Alex asked.

"Um…," Theo said, and he was not sure if he should be talking with Alex. Boris nodded and Theo continued on. "Well, I remember biking home after visiting my Uncle Ike, but after that it's blurry and then…Nothing."

Nothing. He didn't remember being taken, he didn't remember the prison…Alex…James…Molly, the lady he took a liking too…The rebellion…The escape…The run through time…The explosion…

Alex took a deep breath to try and calm himself down, about to have a breakdown.

"Boys," Boris said, "I am an officer of the time stream." He pulled out a badge and before Theo could ask, Boris continued, "Horace used the time machines illegally, using them to exact his revenge. He was the youngest of three boys, and I suppose often left out. Then he abandoned the family he had just months after his youngest son was born and came here. While most of the research was destroyed, there is one working machine. Time is running normally, thanks to you boys."

"…Time travel? Revenge? Us? What is going on?" Theo asked, looking between Alex and Boris. Boris sighed.

"In time, it will come back," Boris said, "I promise." He took Theo and led him out. Alex sat there for a few minutes, not sure if he was dismissed or not. Before he could stand up, though, the door opened again. A different man, one with a more solemn look about him, entered, helping James. James's leg was bound up, but he could walk on it.

"It'll heal up fast once we get the supplies needed," the man told James, "Don't you worry." James nodded and the man sat him beside Alex.

"Alex, what's going on?" James asked, confused and clearly not up to date. Alex sighed, but the man explained instead.  
"Call me Hans, and let me explain." Hans began explaining what Boris had told Alex and Theo, and explained what had happened to Theo to James.

Theo lay on a couch in some office, stroking the cushions. He didn't know what was going on, and he didn't know that boy…

He felt bad, because he saw how it crushed the older boy.

Crush…

_Theo was pressed against the computer, feeling the life being squeezed out of him_

Theo jumped up, wondering what had just happened.

_Was it a memory?_ He didn't know, but he remembered the feeling of someone pushing, and of that hard, metal…

Computer! Hacking! He was going to hack a computer, but…why? Theo clutched his head, trying to remember and feeling light-headed.

Why couldn't he remember? What happened?

Then it happens.

Gray walls…The blue…Rolling down…James kicking the door…Black and yellow…Blood and pain…  
Theo fell with a thump and clutched his head.

He remembered, he remembered all of it and it hurt so much…

Boris and Hans were gone, and Alex was helping James back to where they had been locked up.

"So…When will Theo get his memory back?" James asked. Alex shrugged.

"I don't know, and if these men will send us back, I don't think it'd be good for him to suddenly remember at home…"  
"ALEX! JAMES! I remember!" Theo shouted, busting out of the room and running at his friends. He hugged them both. "And I'm so glad you guys are okay. Alex could feel Theo crying, but he didn't care.

His little cousin was alright…

Boris and Hans were in the room, holding a small device. Well, they were each holding a small device. Hans set his down and the blueness appeared. The other is holding some sort of pen. The trio walks in, James already walking better.

A day had passed and the two men told them they would be sending James home first. And Hans had given some salve to James and it fixed the bone real quick. He was also wearing old-fashioned sleep clothes, like what he had been taken in.

"So I just go through and everything will be like it was that night?" James asked.

"It will, and your disappearance will be forgotten and undone," Boris answered, holding the pen.

"Well," James said as he walked up, "It was one heck of an adventure." He grinned at Alex and Theo, who both grinned back. James turned and Boris clicked the pen right as James was about to step into the portal. The light flashed and then James was sucked in.

"What was that?" Theo asked as the portal faded away.

"James Bond cannot remember what happened here, or everything would be thrown out of balance," Boris answered.

"How _dare_ you!" Alex shouted, lunging at Boris. Hans grabbed and restrained him.

"Alex! Stop!" Theo shouted.

"No! They manipulated our friend! He won't remember us Theo! And Horace will still be born and…and…," Alex huffed out, running out of things to shout.

"But you two might not be born…Or will not…This would continuously happen, again and again as he undid it every time he was forced to repeat it…Now is that any kind of life to live?" Boris asked.

"I…W…No…," Alex grudgingly admitted, "It's not." Hans released him and stepped away. Boris nodded.

"And now it's time for you two to go. Who will go first?" Hans asked.

"I will," Alex declared, stepping forward.

"Your memory will be left alone, as you won't hurt the course of time with your memory," Boris grinned, "And you'll also be sent sometime you were taken, though I can't tell you exactly how long after." Alex nodded and Boris winked at Theo. Theo started, and looked at Boris.

_Why would he wink at me…And he looks like someone I know…_ As Theo scrunched his brows in thought, the blue appeared again and Alex stepped through. When it was gone, it appeared again.

"Go on Theo," Hans said and Theo walked through. He felt the now familiar falling sensation and the warehouse disappeared, as did Boris and Hans…

Would he ever see anyone from this adventure again?

**A/N: I decide to leave this chapter at this, and post another chapter between this and the epilogue. I'm probably posting too quickly, but maybe it makes up for the long time in between? I dunno, but I feel guilt 'bout it and am trying to post all of it before I go home. Two more chapters people, two more I promise this time!**


	10. Wrapping It Up Like a Birthday Present

**A/N: Well…A few days later and now I am back once more! XD I leave for home on Saturday, so I really need to finish this story before then (at least its Wednesday) but…I recently got expansion packs for the Sims 3, making it both more annoying and more epic so I may be doing that instead of working on this…At least I'm almost done! Ha ha, well, on to the story!**

Alex stumbled as he landed. He shook his head and glanced around._ Where and when am I?_ Alex thought as he took in the houses. They all looked familiar…

His house! The Pleasures' home! Alex perked up, and was about to break into a run when he hears someone. Alex jumps into the bush to hide, not sure who it is. He soon gets his answer and the two teens walk by.

"It's been over a month Tom!" Sabina said in exasperation. Tom sighed.

"I know but-"  
"But nothing! He's gone; MI6 even stopped looking when there was no sign!" Sabina said getting up in Tom's face. Tom's eyes went wide and he became very, _very_ frightened by Sabina.

Alex, watching this, steps out of the bush. Neither of his friends turns, both too engrossed in their argument. Alex sighed.

"Hey. Hey! HEY!" Alex called, trying to get their attention. The two both pause and then turn towards him.

"Alex?" Tom asks in confusion.

"ALEX!" Sabina cries, running towards Alex and enveloping him in a hug. Alex manages to keep standing, but then he hears Tom.

"You're not dead!" Tom shouted in glee, joining Sabina in hugging Alex. The weight of both of his friends, and the fact their hugging him from more or less the same direction, causes the poor boy to fall to the ground.

"…I think that's enough hugging," Alex says to his friends.

Theo felt nothing under his feet and looked down. As he did, he fell the rest of the way and there is a splash. Theo fights his way back up to the surface, sputtering as his head broke the surface.

"Hey look, it's a boy!" someone shouts. Theo treads water, seeing two blurry figures near what he assumed was the shore. Theo could hardly breathe and keep himself afloat now.

"Hold on, I'm coming!" the other person shouted, jumping into the water. They swam up to Theo and proceeded to drag him to shore. After preforming mouth less CPR, the two companions talked to themselves.

"Where should we take him?"

"The police station of course! He might be a runaway…Or worse…"  
"Worse? What-Oh…There goes our fishing trip. Get up kid." One of the men helped Theo up and led him up the bank. The other stayed behind to collect their things.

"Just get in the back," the man said, opening the back door. Theo reluctantly climbed in. When the other man joined them, they took a half-hour drive into Theo's hometown and to the police station. Theo soon found himself sitting across from an officer at his desk, answering questions.

"Name?" the officer asked.

"Theo. Theodore Boone," Theo answered and the officer looked up, evident shock on her face.

"Theodore Boone? As in the boy who went missing?" she asked.

"Yeah…," Theo hesitantly answered, not sure what was going on. The woman pulled something up on her computer and looked between it and him.

"It _is_ you," she said in amazement, "hold on right there." She stood up and left the room. Theo sat there awkwardly, wondering what was going down. Sometimes later, the officer returned, telling him his parents would be here soon. Theo nodded mutely and followed her to wherever she was taking him.

"Where have you been?" the officer asked. Theo shrugged and then he heard:

"Teddy!" His mother ran over and enveloped her son in a hug, and his father stood there, waiting. Once Theo was released, his father ruffled his hair.

"Oh Theo…What happened?" his mother asked, going to hug him again.

"I…I don't remember…I just remember falling into the river," Theo lied. He didn't want to, but they would never believe him.

Who would?

The two boys were both welcomed home with open arms by everyone, and soon their lives went back to the old routine…Well, mostly…After all, how could it ever be normal after a time-traveling adventure with the one and only James Bond?

Alex in his later years, once an adult and going to college, confided to Tom about what had happened. And in Tom fashion, he told his older brother Jerry. But the two of them never told another soul, and Alex was grateful for that. However, he keeps what happened for Sabina, who he later dates, for as long as he could…But once he tells her and she finds out she wasn't the first to find out…Let's just say Alex regretted not doing so earlier, she was so mad.

Theo almost never tells a soul, but before high school graduation, he finally confided to April his deepest, darkest secret…The time he was kidnapped and went on a time-travelling adventure. While telling her, April's older brother was at the door, listening in. He never tells them about the eavesdropping, deciding to let them think it's something private and special to them.

And James? Well…James Bond became 007 and the rest, as they say, is history…

**A/N: Really short, I know...But I was too lazy to write more XD And the inspiration...Anyways, the epilogue should be out within the next few days (maybe even tonight) but if not...Feel free to not be happy in reviews XD Because...Well, I might update for months after that...**


	11. Epilogue

**A/N: At last…We come to the conclusion…In this epilogue, we will finally find out who Boris and Hans are XD Hahaha…Did anyone figure it out beforehand?**

"So,_ Hans_ eh?" Boris asked, nearly laughing. _Hans_ rolled his eyes at his younger friend.

"And _Boris_ is supposed to be really creative?" he asked sardonically. _Boris_ fell silent then.

"…Touché…," _Boris_ muttered, knowing _Hans_ had won that argument.

"So…Which case are you working on now?" _Hans_ asked. _Boris _sighed in exasperation.

"The one with the old lady, you know, the one that tried to stop her brother dying in that war?" _Boris_ asked _Hans,_ to which the older man nodded. "Well, I'm trying to get her some long time in jail for what she did…I hate cases like this…"  
"So why'd you become a lawyer? Especially one in this field?" _Hans_ asked, walking faster. The two were walking down a sidewalk, floating cars zipping past them.

"Because as a kid I always dreamed of either being a lawyer or judge," _Boris _sighed, "And since the…well...you know…"

"I know Theodore," _Hans_ laughed, "It's kinda hard to forget the first time we time-travelled."

"Shut up Alexander," Theodore said, childishly sticking his tongue out at Alexander. Alexander cheekily grinned at his younger friend.

"But I am an agent, though sometimes you help out," Alexander said, wrapping an arm around Theodore and giving him a noogie. "I think my line of work, other than more dangerous, is more frustrating." Theodore rolled his eyes and wriggled his way out of Alexander's grip.

"Hey…Hey! We're here!" Theodore shouted as Alexander went to grab him again. Alexander turned.  
"Ah, so we are." The two walked up to an old, gray building. Their friend was inside, and he was much older than they.

"How do you think he's doing?" Theodore asked, "Last time…Well…He was a little out of it."  
"He'll be fine," Alexander said, waving Theodore's worries away, "He's stronger than you seem to think." They walked up to the front desk and Theodore spoke.

"We're here to see James Bond," he said to the concierge. The woman nodded and handed them tags. She didn't look up from her tablet as the two pinned the tags to their uniforms. The two walked down a hall, one that was made to look as if it were from the late twentieth century. Both men were silent as they walked and soon they came to a room.

"Ready?" Alexander asked and Theodore nodded. Alexander opened the door and Theodore opened the door. A decrepit old man was in a wheel-chair, staring out the window. The man didn't turn as the door opened and closed and Alexander went up to him.

"Hello James," Alexander smiled down at the old man.

"Alex…," James greeted with a very raspy voice. Theodore walked up behind Alexander and James saw him. "Theo…"

"Hello James," Theo greeted with a friendly grin.  
"I…I…," James started, but he seemed unable to form the words.  
"Do we need to get the nurse?" Theo asked, worried for the old man. James shook his head, trying to form the thoughts in his head.

"Is there anything we can do?" Alex asked, wondering what was on the man's mind.

"No…No…But I…remember you…," James said, looking between the two men.

"Of course you do," Alex said gently, "We visit you every week."  
"No…No…When I was a boy. Horace…Horace betrayed me…Betrayed us all…," tears formed in James's eyes, "We traveled through the portals…The time portals and…and…" James stopped to get a breath, and Alex and Theo exchanged looks.

This was impossible…How could James remember?

James gave one last grin at them.

"I'm sorry I couldn't change anything…But it all worked out, didn't it?" he asked, hoping he was right. Theo knelt down.

"You were the best spy in the world, James," he said, grinning at his great-great (or somewhere around there) grandfather. Alex knelt down next.

"And you were amazing long before than too," Alex said next.

"But you two were the greatest of them all…," James said, leaning back and closing his eyes.

Alexander John Rider, teen spy turned time-travel agent. Theodore Boone, kid lawyer turned time-travel lawyer/agent.

James was right; his descendants were the greatest of them all, though they would never see that for themselves.


End file.
